ZIONSVILLE, Ind.– Police are investigating the shooting death of a family’s pet tortoise. 

Boone County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Deputy Hannah Fisher said that Brandt Lawson, a farmer, has admitted to shooting the pet tortoise. The exact location, the number of shots and the motive for the shooting are in question, Fisher said.

Merlin, a 16-year-old African Sulcata tortoise, escaped from his outdoor enclosure sometime on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 31. His owner, Tasha Chapel, kept Merlin and his companion, Daisy, in the yard of her home. 

The next morning Chapel and her fiance looked out and saw that only Daisy was in the dog house the tortoises like to sleep in on cold nights. They searched the yard; Merlin was gone.

This was not the first time Merlin had disappeared. A few years ago he got out of his enclosure and wandered through the woods behind Chapel’s yard. He ended up in the backyard of a house on the next street. 

“These guys are known escape artists,” Chapel said. “They will do anything… they’re diggers and climbers.”

Just two weeks ago, Chapel and her fiance went around the enclosure and reinforced the fence, checking for weak points to make sure Daisy and Merlin were safe. Merlin still managed to escape. 

On Friday, Chapel and her family searched the woods and neighborhood for signs of Merlin. They knocked on doors, hoping someone might have seen him. Chapel took to Facebook, asking the community if anyone had spotted her pet of 16 years.

A couple of women responded that they had seen Merlin walking down the street. One of them had taken pictures of Merlin in the middle of the road, about a quarter- to a half-mile away from Chapel’s home. But the women had not stopped to help, they said, because a man was standing at the fence of his property telling them to move on.

The man told the women that he had called someone to come help, and that they should stay back in case the turtle bit them, Chapel said.

Chapel got the man’s phone number and gave him a call. She left a voicemail.

Lawson, called back that night. According to Chapel, when she asked if he’d seen her tortoise, he responded, “Well, yes. I have some bad news… I shot him.”

Here the details are murky. Chapel says that Lawson’s property was fenced off, though Merlin was shot on Lawson’s land.

Because Merlin is an exotic animal rather than a domesticated pet, it’s not clear whether the shooting was legal, according to Fisher. 

Upset, Chapel picked Merlin’s body up from a taxidermist and had him brought to Southside Animal Hospital, where he is being kept in a freezer.

Chapel posted again on Facebook about Merlin’s death. Thousands of people responded to the post, in which Chapel named Lawson as the person who shot her pet.

On a phone call with the Zionsville, Indiana Times Sentinel Tuesday afternoon, Lawson called it an “unfortunate incident.” He said that he had spoken to Chapel and told the Boone County Sheriff’s Office his side of the story. He then referred further questions to his lawyer.

Fisher said that Lawson thought the 65-pound herbivorous tortoise was a snapping turtle and was “concerned it would pose danger to people in the area.”

Chapel wants justice for her pet, but isn’t convinced that law enforcement can provide her with it.

“As far as I’m concerned all three of these guys have blood on their hands,” Chapel said. “ I was a veterinary technician for 12 years. I’ve seen the law as far as animals go and it is horrible in Indiana. I’ve seen Boone County drop so many horrible cases… I’m grateful to them… I just don’t want it to fall through the cracks, for those guys to just get slap on the wrist.”

She hopes that out of Merlin’s death will come some good.

“I would love to hold a meeting on the difference between native turtles and tortoises,” she said. “So many people aren’t aware.”

Chapel has gotten messages from people who have lost cats and dogs under similar circumstances and wants to educate people about proper ways to respond to lost animals.

“This is for Merlin but also so much bigger than him,” she said.

Pearl writes for the Zionsville, Indiana Times Sentinel.